Word: Joel
Before Wordin', I just want to say thanks to Kent Schaffer at ChurchRelevance.com for his recent post about Word. He had some very kind words about the project (words like "candy" and "expository") and posted a few of his favorite designs. Kent is pretty much awesome at everything he does, which includes speaking, blogging, marketing, strategizing and even real estate. I'm not sure, but I think he invented the internet too. Head on over to read the post about Word and stick around to find out more about Kent and ChurchRelevance. Also, please remember to cast your vote for which Word design you'd like to have available as a print. It's been tough to keep up with all the votes, but according to my count, Job is the top vote getter with 3, followed closely by Daniel and Deuteronomy tied at 2. If you want to weigh in, drop a comment here or hit me up on Twitter and let me know what designs you want to see as a print.
I mean, C'mon!
To be honest, I've been a little concerned about getting into the minor prophet territory. Hosea went OK, but the books are just so dang short. What if one of them is like 1 chapter long and only has 2 verses? How do I design that? If the Bible maker people just left the minor prophets out of there, it would really make this whole project easier for me. I mean, c'mon, if they are referred to as "minor" to begin with, what are they even doing in the Bible? Lucky for me, Joel has locusts.
What if I'm not scared of Locusts?
Apparently, there had been a plague of locusts recently and Joel uses the memory of that recent event as a metaphor for Israel's enemies. Now I'm not a locust advocate or anything, but I definitely would not think of locusts if someone asked me how I visualize my enemies. For me that begs the question, what metaphor would work in today's world – my world – to describe the "bad people."At first I was thinking of other creatures, like hyenas or tarantulas. But then I realized that in my world, creatures don't really have a bad connotation. There are no hyenas or tarantulas roaming the streets of St. Paul, raising havoc. So what non-creature could conjure up revile and disgust and represent an entity that screws you over. I'm not sure about you, but that's an easy one for me.
Dude, you got Ticketmastered
Other than Satan himself, what has more pure evil per square inch than Ticketmaster? $20 for a ticket to an event? Think again. $2 for processing (processing what?), $5 convenience charge (seriously, who has ever used the word "convenience" to describe Ticketmaster?) and $10 (for a "we-know-you-can't-get-this-ticket-anywhere-else-so-screw-you" charge). I know Ticketmaster is huge and there's nothing I can do to actually change the way they do business, but I'd like to start a grassroots effort to at least voice my disapproval and I invite you to join me. Here's the plan: Use their name accurately. For example: Your friend just got fired for no reason and was mugged while walking home?
"Dude, you got Ticketmastered."
Someone just insulted you in front of all your friends? You may be tempted to drop a regular old "F you" on them, but try something with even more bite:
"Ticketmaster you, dude!"
Doesn't the word just feel right when used in that way?
Jesus, God, Christ, Father, Son, Holy Spirit
Sorry, I needed to do something to make up for how off-topic this post got. Next week, Amos.